Various types of hypodermic needles currently exist in the art, with the object being to provide a protective cover or cap over the possibly wound-inflicting needle. Needles found in hypodermic syringes must be very sharp to quickly and easily puncture the skin of the patient in order to provide medicinals beneath the layer of skin or remove blood for testing. Additionally, the hypodermic needle is usually very thin and hard to see, especially in low-light conditions. It is possible for doctors and nurses to accidentally prick themselves with the needle, either prior to or after an injection of a patient.
Pricking oneself prior to the injection of a solution does not present much of a health risk, since the needles to be used are normally sterilized. Also, hypodermic syringes usually come with a needle cap which is secured over the top of the needle to prevent the accidental puncturing of skin. When the doctor or nurse takes off the needle cap, exposing the needle, there is little risk of being injured by the needle. However, upon placing the needle cap back onto the needle, the fingers can be pricked by a slight visual miscalculation or by a motorneuro mistake. The consequences of this type of accident are more extreme.
Since the needle has already punctured the skin of the patient, blood and body fluid containing viruses or bacteria which may be found in the patient could possible be transferred to the health care provider by a single accidental prick.
Various types of diseases previously known could be conveyed by such an accident, including hepatitis and cholera.
In the last decade, an even more menacing and lethal virus, the Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS virus, is easily communicated by such an accidental and catastrophic event. Since there is no known cure for AIDS at this time, a great deal of care is required to prevent the accidental prick of the health care provider by a hypodermic needle which has previously been used on a patient.
Many types of syringes of one type or another have been developed in an effort to address this problem yet allow the ease of use of more conventional hypodermic needles.
A search of the prior art did not disclose any patents that read directly on the claims of the instant invention however, the following U.S. patents were considered related:
______________________________________ U.S. PAT. NO. INVENTOR ISSUED ______________________________________ 3,046,985 Saenz, O. 31 July 1962 3,134,380 Armao, T. 26 May 1964 3,306,290 Weltman, H. S. 28 February 1967 3,890,971 Leeson, T. A. 24 June 1975 4,367,738 Legendre, R. 11 January 1983 4,416,663 Hall, R. N. 22 November 1983 4,631,057 Mitchell, C. B. 23 December 1986 4,695,274 Fox, R. L. 22 September 1987 4,702,739 Milorad, N. M. 27 October 1987 4,731,068 Hesse, J. E. 15 March 1988 4,735,618 Hagen, J. 5 April 1988 4,737,144 Choksi, P. V. 12 April 1988 4,737,150 Baeumle, H. 12 April 1988 4,738,663 Bogan, David E. 19 April 1988 4,743,233 Schneider, M. 10 May 1988 4,747,829 Jacob, et al 31 May 1988 4,747,830 Gloyer, et al 31 May 1988 4,747,831 Kulli, J. C. 31 May 1988 4,752,290 Schramm, J. J. 21 June 1988 4,755,170 Golden, T. A. 5 July 1988 4,772,272 McFarland, B. C. 20 September 1988 WO 89/00435 (PCT) Gaarde, K. W. 26 January 1989 ______________________________________
U.S. Pat. No. 3,046,985 issued to C. Saenz on Jul. 31, 1962 discloses a dental syringe adapter for concealing a needle of the hypodermic syringe prior to use by a dentist. The needle is retained in a housing until a syringe plunger is depressed and the needle is pushed out of the protective housing instead of being captively retained within a syringe body.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,134,380 issued to T. Armao on May 26, 1964 discloses a hypodermic syringe needle having a shield which need not be removed prior to the use of the needle and which can be disposed of along with the needle itself. Holes are provided near the end of the shield to permit the escape of air as the shield is collapsed allowing the needle to protrude through the protective caps. The cap is held in an extended position by a spring which yields upon injection.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,306,290 issued to H. S. Weltman on Feb. 28, 1967 discloses a retractable needle syringe which retracts the needle into a fluid containing body and not the syringe plunger.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,890,971 issued to T. A. Leeson on Jun. 24, 1975 discloses a safety syringe for one time use including a plunger which is lockable by detent members and a slidable needle cap which is also permanently lockable to prevent reuse. The needle cap slides over the exterior of the syringe barrel and over the fixed needle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,367,738 issued to R. Legendre on Jan. 11, 1983 discloses a pre-filled syringe having spikes upon the plunger rods to prevent the withdrawal of the plunger from the syringe barrel. No means is disclosed for protecting the tip of the needle from accidental pricking.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,416,663 issued to R. N. Hall on Nov. 22, 1983 discloses a self sterilizing needle, wherein a capsule containing sterilizing fluid and having perforated ends of flexible material with elastic memory tendencies for self sealing after actual penetration by the forward end of the needle. The capsule is coaxially and slidably received over the forward end of the needle with the forward exposed end of the needle slidably penetrating one end of the capsule and perforation for sterilizing of the needle. A syringe is provided for axially urging and positioning the capsule outward to its original position of rest. Then, the exposed end of the needle is again enclosed in the capsule for sterlization when the hypodermic penetration force is removed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,631,057 issued to C. B. Mitchell on Dec. 23, 1986 discloses a needle coupled to a syringe barrel, wherein a needle guard is mounted on the barrel for movement from a retracted position in which the guard does not shield the needle to an extended position in which the guard shields the needle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,695,274 issued to R. L. Fox on Sep. 22, 1987 discloses a safety needle attachment wherein the needle is initially and entirely surrounded by a protecting jacket which is releasably interlocked with a holder. When the needle is to be used, an interlocker is released and the jacket is effectly telescoped over the holder to project the needle through a membrane over the end of the jacket to a working position.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,702,739 issued to N. M. Milorad on Oct. 27, 1987 discloses a hypodermic needle having a sleeve extending from a holder protectively covering the needle so that the sleeve can be placed against the body part where injection is to occur and with the needle tip end proximate the body part. By sliding the holder toward the body part a detent restraint holding the sleeve in an extended position is overcome and relative retraction movement effected therewith.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,731,068 issued to J. E. Hesse on Mar. 15, 1988 discloses a non-reloadable syringe wherein the plunger is permitted to be withdrawn for purposes of loading the syringe and permitted to be urged forward to discharge the contents of the syringe. However, means is provided wherein subsequent retraction of the plunger assembly is inhibited to prevent further loading and use of the syringe.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,735,618 issued to J. Hagen on Apr. 5, 1988 discloses a protective enclosure for a hypodermic syringe needle formed by a tubular sleeve sized for friction fitting engagement over the barrel portion of the syringe. A needle guard portion is located at an opposed end and pivotally removable arms operate to permit the needle to pass through a central channel of the needle guard.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,144 issued to P. V. Choksi issued Apr. 12, 1988 discloses a syringe system comprising a tubular barrel and a sleeve mounted on the barrel to slide lengthwise from a retracted position in which the needle is exposed, and an extended position in which the sleeve extends protectively about the needle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,737,150 issued to H. Baeumle on Apr. 12, 1988 discloses a tube-cannula syringe, the first cannula being disposed so as to be displaced relative to the second cannula to be removable or displaceable in the longitudinal direction of the syringe.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,738,663 issued to David E. Bogan on Apr. 19, 1988 discloses a sleeve guide having a pair of fasteners with cavities formed in them that fit over the flange which are located on hypodermic syringes for grasping in the user's fingers. The guide in the retracted position prevents the accidental pricking by the needle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,743,233 issued to Michael B. Schneider on May 10, 1988 discloses a slidable sleeve over a syringe barrel that is connectable in a first position extending over a hypodermic needle and that is reconnectable in a second position along the syringe barrel to expose the needle for use.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,829 issued to J. Jacob et al on May 31, 1988 discloses a pre-filled syringe with a retractable needle. A barrel of the syringe is removable within a casing from a remote pre-injection position to a forward injection position and back again. The barrel is moved forward allowing the needle to pass through an opening in a cap prior to injection.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,380 issued to W. W. Gloyer et al on May 31, 1988 discloses a syringe having a hollow barrel formed at the distal end to receive an injection piston carried by the plunger member which allows the needle to also to retract within the barrel by extracting the piston.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,747,831 issued to John C. Kulli on May 31, 1988 discloses a cannula insertion needle housing. The housing includes a latch mechanism for extending the needle and retracting the needle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,290 issued to J. J. Schramm on Jun. 21, 1988 discloses a tubular shield which is adapted to protect users from injury. The tubular shield cooperates with the raised surfaces on the body of the medical appliance to be protected.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,755,170 issued to T. A. Golden on Jul. 5, 1988 discloses a protective sealing device comprising a block with which a sharp end of the needle can be held within to prevent accidental puncture. Also, disclosed is a retaining shield which can be retracted over the needle to prevent accidental puncture.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,772,272 issued to B. C. McFarland on Sep. 20, 1988 discloses a protective sleeve for a hypodermic needle which sleeve is completely dissociable from the hypodermic syringe. The protective sleeve is moved over the needle protecting position to the needle injection position solely by axially movement of the protective sleeve.
An International Patent Application filed by K. W. Gaarde and having a published number WO 89/00435 and a publication date of Jan. 26, 1989 shows a hypodermic syringe with a retractable needle in a needle holding mechanism which is integrally attached to a syringe body.
It is desirable that the hypodermic needle can be made available in a safe condition prior to injection so that the health care provider will not accidentally prick his finger and require a new sterilized needle prior to the injection of the patient. It is also a requirement that after injection or sampling using the hypodermic needle, that the needle can be safely and easily discarded without representing a continued health risk to anyone who may encounter the hypodermic needle, either on the premises of the health care facility, or in transit or arrival at the refuse collection area or dump.
There is potentially a great interest in the health care industry to manufacture, sell, distribute and use a hypodermic needle and a vacuum tube syringe that provides the type of safety as described above. It can be easily operated, provides to be completely reliable and is easily and cheaply manufactured, yet still has a great deal of versatility for various applications using various needles in diameter and length and different sized vacuum tubes.
The features described above as being desirable above for hypodermic syringes and vacuum tube syringes are all provided for by the present invention.